With everything going on in the world today, things can seem pretty hopeless. I have seen and heard so much venom and hatred spread so quickly and easily through social media and television outlets. My heart, like many of yours, has been distraught. There has to be a better way than this, and I believe there is.
In recent weeks, I have seen and heard many desperately give a call for all of us to love each other. With the tension in our nation rising with every moment, the need for reconciliation and love seems obvious. Everyone seems to genuinely and whole heartedly believe love can save us all. And I believe that is true, just as long as we get our definition right.
God is love. (1 John 4:8)
God gives color and shape to the word. We can’t know love until we know Love Himself. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul gives us a different definition of love that I wanted to share with you today. Though I’m sure you have seen this verse on mugs and pillows, and most likely heard it at a wedding ceremony, it’s significance is worth our study.
In the previous chapter, Paul writes to the Corinthian church about functioning together as one body with many parts, even going as far as to say, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Cor. 12:26) Paul concludes this chapter by saying all the talk about gifts and roles and procedure are great, but there is a more excellent way to live, and that is the way of love. Take time to read this slowly, maybe even a few times to let it speak to your heart:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Cor. 13:1-3)
Paul makes it clear that the greatest gift, the wisest mind, the most wild faith, the most generous and sacrificial heart mean nothing if they are not motivated from a place of love. My prayer and hope is that our love would be genuine. Outwardly we can think we are doing a world of good, but if inwardly our hearts are cold than we have nothing. The Lord is not impressed with lip service. He looks at our hearts and is asking us, even in the darkest nights where fear and hate are ever rising, will you dare to walk in the more excellent way of love?
Paul continues to define love for us. Again I ask you read this slowly, and marinate on each part:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never ends. (1 Cor. 13:4-8)
When I read this in the context of our world today, I see something entirely different from the love we know. We know selfish conditional love, but God’s way is completely other. In the past week amongst all the social debates, how many times have you found yourself demanding your own way? How many times have you been arrogant or rude because you felt like you were right? This isn’t just for romantic relationships, this is for all of us. There is a different way, and it is the way of love. This kind of love changes us. This kind of love makes us better. This kind of love makes us more like Jesus.
If you replace God with the word Love in the above passage you will get a glimpse of His character. God is patient, God is kind, God rejoices in the truth. I pray that all of us would have a deeper revelation of the Father’s love. Without it, we are like clanging gongs, making a lot of noise, being annoying, and really not much good for anything. I pray that the broken state of our world would lead us to pray. Let us seek to love God and love others more deeply and fully. And finally, let our love be genuine and defined by the One who created it.